Eporue: Eyes of Ice
by DemonYodaVoice
Summary: When Arthur Kirkland started his pokemon journey the only thing he expected to deal with was an irritating rival frog. What he hadn't counted on was passed-out trainers, a cast of crazy gym leaders, or having to save the Eporue Region from a man who wants to make it his personal playground. But hey, no one said becoming a champion was going to be easy.
1. In Which the Journey Begins

Ok, new story so let's get right to the point, disclaimer please.

Japan: DemonYodaVoice does not own Hetalia, or Pokemon.

* * *

The sun rose slowly on the horizon, shedding its warm light on a small village known as Chai Town. The town was located on an area of lower elevation, surrounded on three sides by numerous tall mountain like hills and the southernmost side by a vast ocean. There was only a single road that led towards the northwest and the similarly small, but more elevated city of Astapa. Astapa, the city known as the Crossroad of Three, with its white colored houses surrounded by flowers, small picket fences, pokemon center, pokemart, and it's three major roads leading further into the heart of the Eporue Region. But most importantly it was the home of the Rome Pokemon Lab, run by the great Professor Rome himself. And this lab would be the destination of two very special boys that day, both of whom lived in Chai Town, and one of whom was getting his day started at the very minute.

Now the houses in Chai Town differed greatly from the many houses in Astapa, unlike the white picket fence houses the ones in the smaller town were made of many different materials and most were only a single story. Now the ones that did have more than a single level where only two stories with the bedrooms on the top level; the only exception to both these rules was the large pearly white mansion situated at the south most part of the town, practically settled on the beach itself. That mansion belonged to Mr. Bonnefoy, and his family; Mr. Bonnefoy was a very rich man who served as a high end aid to Professor Rome himself in the next town over. But that's not where we should be focusing our attention, and we'll turn instead to one of the few two story houses in Chai Town. The house was a dark crimson brick house and belonged to the Kirkland brothers, two boys whose parents had died earlier in their childhood in a boating accident over the open ocean. Now the two were in the care of their next door neighbor Delaura, or Laura for short. And this is where our story begins, at this particular house, now shrouded in the early morning light, where a boy was perched on the roof.

He was the elder of the two boys, Arthur, and he was lying flat, his back pressed up the shingles, and his green eyes staring up at the sky. He had one arm under his head and the other was absently twirling the drawstring of his forest green sweatshirt and brushing the strands of blond hair that would fall into his eyes now and then. A gust of wind blew along and tossed a few more strands of his blond hair over his calculating eyes and large eyebrows only to be once again brushed aside by his free hand.

The world seemed so peaceful in the early morning light, the serenity and grace evident in only the wind and the fresh sunshine; he wanted to absorb as much as he could now before he was thrown into the tormented chaos of his everyday life. And already he knew that this particular day would most likely be the craziest day he'd ever experience. With a sigh he closed his eyes as he recalled the events that had already happened,

_ He had been packing up the last of his belongings for his trip to Rome's Pokemon Lab later in the morning, when his door had been slammed open and something raced in. That thing of course was his younger brother Peter, the boy had come in wearing his sailor suit again, which Arthur himself found absolutely ridiculous but the younger boy seemed to like. The first thing Peter did after entering his personal space was the usual, sit on his bed and stare at him with his innocent blue eyes._

_ Arthur looked up from what he was packing into his shoulder bag and frowned, "Can I help you with something?"_

_ The younger boy was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and needlessly rolling back and forth on the bed, his blonde hair shifting back and forth with him. "I'm bored."_

_ The older boy nodded again, his thick eyebrows knitted together as he pressed the rest of his small stack into his bag, not really paying much attention to the smaller boy. "And what do you expect me to do about that?"_

_ Peter rolled over onto his stomach and stared at Arthur expectantly, his slightly thicker eyebrows raised as if to go with the next words he spoke. "Entertain me."_

_ He spoke the words so matter of factly and Arthur turned towards him, eyebrows raised as he wandered over and started looking through his dresser. "And now pray do you think that I should go about doing that, especially when I have much more important things to be doing."_

_ Peter shrugged, suddenly taking an interest in the bedspread, "Well you could just pay attention to me instead."_

_ Arthur sighed loudly, stopped rummaging, and turned around to face him, arms crossed over his chest. "Absolutely not, I am a very busy man and I do not have time for this nonsense."_

_ Peter started bouncing, the springs in the mattress strumming like a guitar string, "Please?"_

_ Arthur returned to his work and didn't look back, "No."_

_ "Please?" Peter's voice whined again._

_ "Absolutely not." He would not give in to his brother's antics._

_ "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please?"_

_ Arthur gritted his teeth and held his breath a moment before answering as calmly as he could manage, "No, now if you would kindly exit my room and leave me alone."_

_ "But I'm not bored anymore."_

_ He was caught off guard and it took him a moment to realize what Peter had meant by that statement, but when he did realize it he turned around quickly. "Absolutely not! Bothering me is not an agreeable form of entertainment, especially not when I'm trying to pack!"_

_ The boy had flopped back over onto his back, "But it's fun."_

_ Arthur muttered darkly under his breath for a moment before slamming the draw shut and tensely making his way in Peter's direction. The next part was rather strenuous to remember, if he even remembered it correctly at all; the short sweet version was that he'd spent the next twenty minutes trying to evict his brother from his room which involved much running, screaming at the top of his lungs, and in general brute force to hold the door shut as the younger boy tried to push his way back in. Finally however Peter seemed to take the point and left to find something more productive to do, much to Arthur's relief._

With another sigh he opened his slowly, blinking rapidly as he faced the now completely risen sun. Unlike most pokemon labs around the world, Professor Rome never opened his lab until much later in the morning; he claimed this was so it would be harder for trainers to sleep in, but everyone else claims that it's because he himself doesn't get up until at least ten 'o' clock. Regardless, it was still a long walk there and Arthur refused to even consider the idea of being late. So, slowly he pushed himself to his feet, several of his muscles groaning at the effort from it required after having been relaxed for so long, after a few minutes Arthur had finally made his way over the edge of the room where his window ledge was just below him. He settled on the edge and dangled his legs over until his feet were firmly locked on the inside of the window ledge, then he slid into the house.

As he landed with a soft thud on the bed it took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the uneasy darkness that had covered most of his room, seeing as the only window was the one he'd come through and was on the far side of the house from where the sun was rising. Carefully placing one foot at a time on the floor and moving cautiously across to his lamp he pulled on the cord.

Brightness suddenly illuminated the room and Arthur had to shield his eyes from the blinding light, which in turn prevented him from seeing the small figure who suddenly hurled himself in his direction. "Attack!" He recognized the voice at once, but there was no way he could dodge the familiar sailor suited boy and they both went crashing backwards onto the bed. Opening his eyes after the crunch of the collusion he instantly came face to face with Peter's dancing blue eyes, "Hi."

The look he received for Arthur's own eyes was not one of amusement. "What do you think you are doing?"

The other boy simply rolled off him and landed with a thud on the bed, "Bothering you."

Arthur glared at him, "Well get you bloody wanker, I have to finish getting ready." That's when he noticed that Peter's expression seemed to fall with his words, "What's wrong?"

"So you're leaving soon?" Peter had suddenly taken a strong interest in playing with the bedspread, his eyes refusing to look up at his brother.

Arthur sighed and halfheartedly looked over at his bag, now completely packed, and the outfit he planned to wear set out next to it. "Yes Peter."

"It'll be boring without you." He glanced back over and noticed that his brother's eye had flickered up towards him, "You don't really have to go you know."

Arthur reached over and ruffled his brother's hair, "You know that's not true. Besides, you'll be happier when I'm gone."

Peter hesitated then gave a weak nod, "I guess…"

Arthur paused thoughtfully then gave his brother a smirk, "Well… how about once I get my pokemon from Professor Rome, I come back and show it to you, then I'll leave after that." Peter's eyes brightened, "How about that?"

The other boy was bouncing up and down repeatedly, a huge grin on his face. "Really!? You mean it! You mean it!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile himself as he shoved the other boy off the bed towards the door, "Yes, now get out here so I can finish packing."

Peter nodded with a grin as he ran out the door, "I'm gonna go tell Laura!"

Arthur walked to the door and yelled after him, "It's going to you wanker." But as he shut the door and head back into his room he couldn't help but smile, "You do that Peter."

He emerged from the room a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of full length dark tan khaki pants and a white shirt hidden underneath of his green sweatshirt, the hood dangling down the back. He had his messenger bag slung over his shoulder and was pulling on a pair of fingerless gloves the same dark tan color as his pants as he kicked the door shut behind him. He paused in front of the hallway mirror and nodded thoughtfully at his reflection before heading down the stairs and out the front door.

Once outside he was caught full in the face by a blast of wind, the breeze whipped his hair back and as he let go of the door it slammed shut behind him. Shaking his head and fighting against the sudden wind current Arthur made his way towards edge of town, on his current path he'd be forced to pass the Bonnefoy mansion, and he seriously hoped that Francis wasn't available at the moment. As he passed the house he couldn't help but marvel at the gorgeous white color and all the white columns, the whole place seemed to glow in the early morning light; it really was a beautiful sight. He continued on his way while shaking his head; of course he could waste all the praise he wanted on the house, the effects were all ruined by who lived there anyway.

Francis Bonnefoy, dubbed and nicknamed the Frog, was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Bonnefoy and had been Arthur's rival since the Kirkland boys had arrived in Chai Town. Neither of them really knew how it had started; only that from the moment Arthur seemed to arrive in town Francis deemed that he had to outdo him in everything. Of course to counteract that thought Arthur ended up beating Francis in just about everything; the only fields that he really dominated in were the fields of popularity and friends, the two fields that Arthur could care less about anyway.

Regardless of that fact Arthur could finally release the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he finally passed the Bonnefoy house, no doubt he'd still run into Francis at some point, but for the moment he was content to forget that Frog.

From Chai Town's exit he came to the single dirt path that connected his home town to the larger town of Astapa. The route was an easy walk and required no cutting through any of the many patches of grass, a convenient perk seeing that a good portion of the citizens Chai Town didn't own a pokemon or at least one that could fight very well. It also meant that the inspiring trainers could make their way to Rome's Pokemon lab without having to rely on a veteran trainer to get them there. He smiled as he passed through the many trees that grew on either side of the path and let the breeze blow through his hair as it made its way towards the town behind him. It really was a peaceful day to be making a journey like this, especially since in a couple more hours he'd be off on a permanent journey through the Eporue Region itself, a dream he'd had since he was young.

By now he'd reached the deepest part of the forest, the section that once you passed through meant you were halfway through the journey. This part of the forests was where many people claimed to have meant mysterious or otherwise legendary pokemon, the kinds of pokemon that not many believe exist. He slowed his pace here, despite the rumors this section of the forest had always been his favorite, there was something about the way the branches and leaves on the trees shifted in the wind, there was something here that he was drawn to.

That's when he saw it. It started out as a faint outline against the trees, but steadily came more into focus as it moved closer through the foliage. It walked on four legs and looked remarkably like a horse, or a ponyta to be more precise, but there was something different about it. Instead of the traditional colored fires that made up its mane and tail, the flames seemed to glow blue, making the flames almost seem like water. It stared back at him with its curiosity filled eyes and head cocked slightly to the side. Arthur reached for his belt as though to grab a pokeball, but then realized he didn't have one; although after the whole thing was over he wasn't sure he could have thrown one even if he did have it.

The creature and boy watched each other for another moment before the horse finally backed away slowly then took off into the trees. Arthur responded as though to chase it, before realizing that to do so he would have to pass through grass, something he couldn't do without a pokemon to protect him. So instead he just stood on the edge of the path, watching the shape fade into the distance and marveling at its beauty. Finally as the shape vanished completely he was able to get his attention focused back on his journey and resumed his walk to Astapa Town, a trip that would be interrupted by no more distractions.

* * *

Thanks for reading the first chapter, I'll have number two up as soon as I can.

Japan: But until then please leave a review.

I'd really like to know what you think of it. :)


	2. Sort Of

Here's the second chapter, if you happen to read this please leave a review. They're very important to me and I really do like to hear what you think about the story.

Japan: DemonYodaVoice does not own Hetalia, or Pokemon.

* * *

When he finally reached the town he was greeted by the sight of its citizens already awake and busy with morning tasks, some who took notice waved in his direction but most of them simply ignored him. None the less Arthur couldn't help but feel exposed as he made his way towards the glittering domed structure on the far side of town. The Rome Pokemon Lab was certainly a sight to behold, many trainers stated that it was like no other pokemon lab in the world, but although Arthur had never seen another lab even he had to admit that it was impressive.

The building was at least twice the size of most of the others in Astapa and sat at the edge of the city where it merged with the forest. The whole building was painted white and seemed taintless against the sun, in fact if he hadn't known better he would have thought that the place would have been used for something more important than a pokemon lab. Sunlight seemed to glitter through the upper windows of the structure, but oddly enough he hadn't yet run into coming to or from the building itself. They can't possibly be closed, the thought ran through his head but he roughly shoved it to the side, no Professor Rome was simply just a late riser that's all.

Slowly he willed his hand to take the glittering gold door knob and twist it open so that he could let himself into the lab. Hesitantly he pushed on the handle and the door itself swung open.

As he stepped through the door he was surprised that the inside of the lab was actually much quieter than the outside world, in fact there wasn't any sort of noise in the room at all, just a muffled roar from the outside world. Then the large door crashed shut behind him drowning out the last of the noise and filling the room with a rumbling boom. Arthur jumped slightly before glancing around at the empty chairs that were littered around the room. "Hello?"

When he received no reply glanced around a bit more and noticed a group of bookshelves closely congregated near the back wall cautiously he wandered through them his eyes skimming around the title of various research journals and other pokemon books until he happed to catch a glimpse of young boy sitting against the back wall between a couple of the shelves. As Arthur rounded another shelf he was able to get a better look at the boy, he had round blue eyes that were focused intently on the large book that he had settled in his lap. His hair was blond and short with very little to no messiness to it.

Still not having been noticed Arthur cleared his throat as he stood there awkwardly watching him, "Excuse me."

The boy looked up, a momentary look of panic crossing his face only to be replaced with a more solemn one. He quickly marked his page and set is book off to the side before standing up and offering Arthur a bow. "May I help you?"

He spoke with an accent that Arthur didn't recognize but the older boy simply nodded, "I hope so. You see, I'm here to meet with Professor Rome. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you?"

Almost immediately the boy started walking back through the many book shelves only pausing once to glance back over his shoulder when he realized that Arthur wasn't moving, "Please follow me."

Giving his bag a last minute adjustment Arthur moved at a slight jog to catch up with the younger boy, then did his best to fall in step with the younger child. As they walked the boy offered no openings to start a conversation and Arthur, out of respect of the silence, didn't try to start one. Instead he took the chance to look around each of the rooms as they passed through several doors and finally out the back of the lab completely into what appeared to be an outside garden seemingly overflowing with researchers doing outside work.

Arthur was taken aback by the sudden amounts of sunlight that seemed to poor from the sky over the area, but his guide kept walking. In realization that he was being left behind he hurried to catch back up with the boy only to have a man break off from the group to approach the two of them. A man he quickly recognized as Mr. Bonnefoy. His rival's father was actually a very attractive looking man, at least according to Delaura, but there was something about that straight blond hair and sparkling blue eyes that got him noticed by far too many women. Of course right now he was working and not flirting, so Arthur was pretty sure he could deal with the man's presence.

As he walked over he flashed Arthur a smile accompanied by a wink, then of course there was the slight chance that he couldn't... Mr. Bonnefoy seemed to ignore his sour expression and had instead kneeled down as he turned his attention to the younger boy ahead of Arthur. "Ah Adolf, taking our friend Arthur to Professor Rome are you?" Arthur felt his eyebrow twitch; your friend my foot you bloody wanker, I can hardly stand your son.

Adolf, if that was his name, simply nodded towards the Frenchman as Mr. Bonnefoy returned to his feet, "Well you can return to whatever book you were reading, I'll finish taking him there."

Arthur was about to open his mouth and protest that if someone would tell him were Professor Rome was he could just go himself, but before he could Adolf spoke again. "No."

Mr. Bonnefoy seemed taken aback by the boy's comment, "Excuse me, what?"

"I said no. I'll take him myself." Adolf had fixed the man with a very firm blue eyed stare, and Arthur swore that he was taunting the adult to argue with his decision.

Mr. Bonnefoy's smile faded as he looked down at the small child then turned around and threw up a hand in what seemed like a sign of defeat, "Fine, as you were then."

Arthur stared in slight shock at the boy standing before him but Adolf simply glanced back at him before continuing on his path. "Come along."

Arthur nodded and followed the boy as he took them into the thicker growing vegetation and trees. Arthur looked around at the higher branches of the trees all filled with nesting bird pokemon. Pidgey, spearow, pidove, noctowl and so many other kinds stared back at him as well as other pokemon like ratatta and bidoof watched him from the bushes. As they proceeded to travel further back the amount of pokemon that were visible grew steadily smaller until he could only spot a group traveling around once and a while.

Finally Adolf stopped at the point where the path broke off into what seemed to be a large clearing with a picnic blanket set up on the far side. The boy stared at the blanket for a moment before gesturing to it, "Wait here, I'll be back."

Arthur opened his mouth to ask where the boy was going but Adolf had already vanished down another one of the paths. He crossed his arms over his chest as he considered trying to follow the boy, but quickly gave up on the idea. He'd heard that Professor Rome was pretty relaxed about most things, but he really didn't feel like giving him the wrong idea about his character, after all he'd been asked to stay here. With another frustrated scowl Arthur gave the blanket a sideways glance and noticed a picture frame that seemed to have fallen into the grass.

Glancing around to make sure no one had come back he walked over and picked it up, it was some sort of group picture. There were nine different people, of the two men up highest on the picture he assumed the brunet haired one was Professor Rome himself, but his long blond colleague was unknown to Arthur although he did closely resemble several other members of the picture. Scanning the image a bit more he quickly recognized Adolf near the bottom of the photo, the boy was sitting left of two girls who looked to be at least a year younger than him. Both girls had golden eyes, and long wavy brunet hair with strange curls coming off, but the one sitting next to Adolf had her hair up in a ponytail and a huge grin on her face while her sister was scowling and had her long locks pulled in close around her face.

Standing above the girls were two boys who looked remarkably similar to both of the girls except for the obvious difference in gender and the fact that the boys themselves looked to be more around Arthur's own age. They wore almost identical expressions and both had the same brunet colored hair again and strange curls. Standing off to the side of the second set of what Arthur believed to be twins was another boy, except he was much more muscular and well built, he also had slicked back blond hair and firm blue eyes and matched Adolf's very well. Behind him stood another boy, not exactly matching any of the other appearances with his white hair and red eyes, or with that smirk written across his face. Arthur could tell simply by the way that expression sat on his face that this boy was not likely to be someone he would get along with.

He was interrupted from further examination as Adolf returned with the Professor in tow. And Arthur knew at once that the Professor was one of the men in that picture, he looked almost identical. The Pokemon Professor of Astapa town had short but slightly messy dark brown hair and golden eyes that held a very light hearted expression, he also wore the same broad smile that he had in the picture, Adolf trailed behind him looking just as solemn and serious as he'd been when he'd left.

When Rome caught sight of Arthur his grin grew, if that was even possible, and he offered a wave. "Hey! Arthur Kirkland it's great to see you."

Arthur felt a bit flustered as the Professor wrapped his arm around him and pulled the teen into his side, even if they weren't visible Professor Rome was very well muscled underneath his long white lab coat. Slowly he managed to slide out of the man's grip, then he offered a half bow and held out the picture. "It's good to see you too Professor, but I believe this is yours." As Rome took the picture Arthur's face turned red, "I...I found it in the grass over there." He gestured towards the blanket.

The man looked over to the gestured area thoughtfully then smiled, "Oh, it must have fallen off the basket. I knew I should have put it away."

Arthur hung back nervously then asked hesitantly, "Who... who exactly is in that picture with you Professor?"

Rome stared at him for a moment then handed him back the frame, "Well those two lovely sets of twins are my grandkids. Daisy and Caterina will be six this year; oh gosh they're getting so big on me." As Rome seemed to daze off Arthur looked back at the girls, so they were twins and so were the two boys above them, he'd suspected as much. "As for my grandsons' the one on the left is Feliciano and beside him is his twin Lovino." He pointed to each of them in turn with his finger, then turned to look at Arthur himself, "They're both about sixteen, just like you if I'm right." Arthur nodded as the Professor looked at him, Rome returned his gaze to the picture with a smile, "I thought so."

"So, who else is in this picture professor?" Arthur had turned his attention to the other side of the picture, the side that seemed to resemble Adolf, or he resembled them.

Rome stood up straight and stretched, "Oh that's just a good friend of mine. Professor Germania, he works up in the Aisa Region. The other boys are his grandsons; you've already met Adolf, and the other two boys in the picture are his older brothers. The younger one is Ludwig and the boy to his left is Gilbert. Ludwig's Feli and Lovi's age, and Gilbert's about a year older." He paused thoughtfully, "At least I think he is, actually now that I think about it I'm not entirely sure."

"That's alright." Arthur offered him the picture back, "Thank you for the lesson on your family professor."

Professor Rome smiled and set the picture back on top of the basket before turning around. "Yes, well enough of this small talk." He glanced back at Arthur, "You're here for your first pokemon aren't you?"

Arthur felt his heart begin to race as he nodded, "Y...yes sir!"

Rome nodded and frowned thoughtfully as he started studying Arthur, "Tell me Mr. Kirkland what kind of pokemon are you hoping to get?"

"I...well I don't know exactly." Arthur felt his face turning red; he really hadn't been expecting questions like this. "I suppose that I was hoping for a partner who'd be nice, dependable, someone who's willing to be my friend, you know that sort of thing."

Rome nodded, his expression unreadable, "And do you have a preference on type?"

"Not particularly." Arthur shrugged, "I'd like them to be strong, but no just strong. If that makes any sense at all." He glanced down sheepishly.

"It does." He looked back up to see Professor Rome smiling at him, "And I think I have just the pokemon for you. Follow me if you'd please." Arthur nodded and started after the taller man, Adolf trailing behind the two of them as they went down another one of the paths.

As they walked Rome glanced back over his shoulder at Arthur, "Luckily for you I think I've got the perfect match for you, he's a bit picky when it comes to picking trainer dispositions and I've been trying to match him up for a while now, but I sense there's something about you that goes together." Arthur said nothing but simply followed along as they moved deeper and deeper into the trees.

The rest of the walk as in silence and eventually after what seemed like forever the trees finally thinned out to reveal another clearing, only in this one there were no blankets or pictures, but there was a group of pokemon. As he followed the Professor closer he recognized the group as consisting of mainly Pikachu and Raichu but it did contain a small number of Pichu, most stay particularly close one of the larger evolutions. As Rome approached them several of the three varieties broke off from the group to meet them and he bent over, handing out small handfuls of pokeblock to them which they took and munched eagerly. The Professor turned his sparkling eyes in Arthur's direction and waved him over. "Arthur come here, there's somebody I'd like you to meet."

Hesitant around such a large number of pokemon Arthur approached quietly and knelt down next to Professor Rome, a few of the pokemon cast him an uneasy glance, but most of them simply ignored him. Meanwhile Rome was leaning forwards and seemed to be trying to pick out a certain pokemon in the group, eventually he must have found what he was looking for because his grin widened again. "There you are. Come here Mint." He looked over and winked at Arthur.

The blond haired trainer to be frowned in confusion at Rome's gesture then turned his attention back towards the pokemon. They seemed to be separating to let another one through, and... What was that? He held his breath as another pokemon emerged from the large group; it looked similar to the other Pichu but instead of being yellow or even the darker colored yellow that Arthur could spot now and then it was minty green. It paused outside the group and cocked it's head in the cutest way as it looked towards Professor Rome. Then it smiled and did the most amazing thing, it flew to the Pokemon Professor! Arthur could now make out the small pair of wings that were fixed on its back. He practically laughed out loud, it was a flying Pichu!

That's when the small creature suddenly took notice in him, Arthur froze as their eyes met and the two of them simply stared at each other. They continued this staring contest as Professor Rome laughed off to the side, now most of him covered in Pichu. "It seems you've met now, Arthur this is Mint. Mint meet Arthur Kirkland."

The Pichu paused then nodded its head as though taking a bow. Arthur returned the gesture as well as he could from where he was sitting down. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Mint slowly inched closer and slowly climbed his way up Arthur's arm and settled at the back of his neck, sniffing the unruly blond hair. Arthur bent over so as not to throw the small creature off and giggled softly as the Pichu's nose ruffled his hair. Then glancing at Rome he smiled, "So is this the pokemon you were talking about?"

Rome pulled one of the Pikachu that had attached itself to his ear down onto his lap, but another moved to take its place. "Yes, and he really seems to like you."

That was of course when Mint decided to yank on a strain of Arthur's hair. "Ow!" The blond rubbed the spot and scowled, "That hurt." Another yank. "Ow!" Yank. "Mint!" Several more yanks. "Mint stop it!" Further yanking of the hair. "Stop...!" A sharp pain from his skull. "...Pulling my...!" Cringe. "...Hair!" A sharp tug. "Right now!" Finally after about the twentieth yank he reached up and pulled the pokemon down off his head only to bring it down in front of his face. The Pichu looked at him with a bored expression, Arthur glared at him, "That was not nice. You shouldn't pull on people's hair like that. Please don't do it again." He felt like he was scolding Peter, an about four years younger Peter.

Slowly he handed to Pichu back to the Professor and sighed, massaging his sore head with his free hand. "I'm sorry Professor, but I'm not sure this is the right pokemon for me."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the Pichu in Rome's hands was squealing and trying to fight its way back towards Arthur. Rome let it go and Mint curled up against Arthur's palm and pressed his smile nose against his exposed fingers. It whined and held onto Arthur's thumb. The teen tried to pull away but it held tight. "I...I don't understand." He looked up in confusion at the Professor, "What's wrong with him?"

Professor Rome sighed and leaned back, "The hair pulling is Mint's usual trick for judging how much he likes people. Apparently he liked how you handled it." He smiled at the small pokemon, "I don't think he wants you to leave."

Arthur stared down at the Pichu, the little electric pokemon stared up at him with large round eyes. "I thought he hated me. You...you actually want to be my partner?"

The green winged Pichu nodded, "Pi chu."

"I'll say yes then." He picked up the Pichu and Mint scurried from his hands up onto his shoulder. Then he nodded at Professor Rome, "I'll take him, and I think... he'll take me as well."

Rome dusted off his hands as he rose to his feet, "I thought as much. Looks like it's time for us all to return to our lives. For Adolf and I it'll be pokemon research. And for you two..." He gave the duo his signature smile, "I think it's about time you got started on your journey Mr. Kirkland."

* * *

Please remember to review and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Also thanks to I-tried-but-the-fandom-won and Plant Life Alchemist for reviewing the first chapter, you guys are awesome.


	3. In Which a Wild Frog Appears

Hey guys, first of all I'd like to thank Anonymous Quincy for reviewing the story, and everyone who's favorited or is following this. Once again you are all awesome. But on with the chapter. Disclaimer please.

Japan: DemonYodaVoice once again does not own Hetalia.

* * *

It wasn't long after that their little group finally reached the main yard of the lab again; Professor Rome led the way and headed right toward the back door. As they passed through the gardens Arthur saw several research aids, including Mr. Bonnefoy, look up to see Mint and himself as they passed through. He had long since pulled the green hood of his jacket down over his eyes as far as he could manage, but his pokemon companion seemed more interested in taking everything in than hiding and eagerly spoke in his ear as they walked on.

As they entered back into the lab Arthur recalled how at some point after traveling long enough, most trainers reached the point where they knew exactly what their pokemon was saying, but he obviously hadn't reached that point with Mint yet. In fact he found it hard to keep up with the Pichu's slower pace as it was.

As if to make a point Mint had just finished his latest tirade and was staring at Arthur with his large round eyes as though expecting an answer. The young man shook his head and stared at the Pichu with his green eyes peering out of the hood. "I honestly have no idea what you just said." Mint scowled and crossed his stubby arm over his chest, giving Arthur a glare, the wings on his back fluttering quickly. "Chu…"

The later returned the glare, "Well excuse me for not being that quick, this is all new for me too you know." Mint said nothing but curled up on his shoulder facing backwards and thumped the boy on the side of the face with his short tail. Arthur shot the pokemon another glare. "Cut that out!"

"Arthur." He looked up as his name was called and noticed Professor Rome was gesturing for him to come over to where he was standing by a table.

Arthur walked over, pulling his hood down as he did so, and the first thing he noticed was the three to four pokeballs settled on the table along with a map and what looked like... "Is that a calculator?"

He gestured to the object on the table and Professor Rome laughed, "No, but it certainly looks like that doesn't it." He opened the flap on the front and pressed a button that turned it on with blinking lights, "Actually it's a pokedex, a project that Professor Germania and I are collaborating on. The idea's still in the early stages but I need test work on it now. I was wondering if you'd be interested in carrying it around for me."

Arthur stared at the strange little machine, "What exactly would I have to do?"

"Nothing too hard, it'll just record the data of pokemon you find as you travel. You really don't have to do anything, of course if you want to use it to view information that's already been gathered all you have to do is..." He spent the next few minutes showing Arthur how to navigate through the many pages of pokedex information, the boy's calculating eyes took it all in very quickly and soon he was navigating the pages like a natural.

When he'd mastered the idea he slid the device into the pocket of khaki pants, "I suppose I could take it along if you'd like."

Professor Rome smiled, "I thought you'd say that. These..." He pushed the other objects on the table towards him, "Are also for you. Good luck on your journey Arthur."

The British boy bowed, "Thank you Professor Rome." He returned to standing position and noticed that the professor had become easily sidetracked with something else in the back of the desk and with one more nod towards Adolf, Arthur turned towards the door. As he made his way towards the entrance to the lab Mint took the opportunity to snuggle up as a ball in his hood. Arthur extended his hand to take the door handle but the door suddenly pulled open and he found himself colliding head first with something tall and blond.

The collision took only a second and then Arthur felt himself falling backwards through space in what seemed to be slow motion. But as he was falling Arthur's instincts kicked in and he reached out to grab onto whatever was closest to him so he could catch his balance. He blindly reached out and gripped something surprisingly soft as he fell, but it caught his weight and he was finally able to steady himself.

And as he did so he looked back forward to find the source of his problem and straight into a pair of very familiar blue eyes. Francis Bonnefoy stared back at him with an equally surprised expression, with his curly blond hair dangling into his left eye, and it was only then that Arthur registered how the two of them were actually standing.

As Arthur had reached forward to catch himself he'd actually grabbed onto Francis's shoulders, and when he'd locked his hands together to get a better grip he had actually wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck. Francis, when falling, had locked his arms around Arthur's waist and now both boys found themselves standing in a very awkward position as they stared into each other's eyes.

Realization hit both boys and they shoved each other away roughly, Arthur's face turning bright red as he stumbled backwards slightly, and the laugh that his rival gave only seconds later didn't help the situation. "Not watching where you were going were you? Hon hon hon."

Arthur glared at him, fighting to remove the embarrassment from his cheeks. "Oh please, it's obviously not my fault Frog; after all I didn't open the door."

Francis returned the expression, his own cheeks still slightly pink. "Well I didn't expect you to be standing on the other side."

"Regardless, you were the one who bumped into me."

"No mon ami, you ran into me." Arthur opened his mouth to respond with another sour retort when Mint took the moment to raise his head from where it had been settled in the hood and peek over his trainer's shoulder. He tilted his head and regarded Francis curiously with his large eyes, the Frenchman stared back, a bit surprised by the sudden appearance of the pokemon. "Arthur, what is that?"

Arthur frowned and stared at his rival's face, Francis's smirk had seconds since vanished and had been replaced by a more perplexed and slightly disturbed expression. "What's what Frog?" In all the chaos he had failed to notice Mint's entrance to the scene, or the fact that the pichu was now perched on his head, wings in full view. Francis just shook his head, a look of disbelief still written across his face as he pointed towards Arthur's head. The blonde's green eyes followed his gesture and Mint dangled his tail down into Arthur's eyes. The British teen smiled, "Oh there you are." He pulled the Pichu down from his head and held him gently in his arms, "I suppose I should introduce you. Mint this is my rival Francis, the frog." Said Frog frowned at Arthur's comment but was prevented from interjecting as Arthur continued talking, with less enthusiasm in his voice now. "Francis, this is Mint, my partner..." The Pichu stared at the Frenchman for another minute then snuggled into Arthur's arms and promptly fell asleep. Both boys looked at the pichu for another minute before they both looked up and Arthur smirked, "...and it appears that he doesn't like you either."

Francis scowled at the Pichu as he folded his arms over his chest, "Well he'll be glad to know the feelings are mutual then." The pichu made no move or sound, but continued to sleep on. "As for you..." Arthur looked back up as Francis continued talking, "...I can hardly see why you would even bother getting a pokemon in the first place, especially if you had to sink so low as to get that..." He waved his hand around for a moment before uttering with strong distaste, "...thing."

"Excuse me!?" Arthur glared at his rival, a vein threatening to pop in his forehead, "Well at least I have a pokemon you bloody wanker."

"That is a problem I plan to have remedied very quickly." By now the two of them were on the verge of a full out fight, with their faces only a few inches away from each other and Mint still snoozing away in Arthur's arms.

They were interrupted however, by the arrival of Francis's father. "Francis, there you are." Both boys broke apart as the older Frenchman came over and put his hand on his son's shoulder, "Professor Rome has been looking for you, he's found a few pokemon that he thinks you'll like." He seemed oblivious to the hostile looks passing between the two boys as he continued, "I think it would be best if you came to see him."

"Of course, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting. That would be rude of me." He flipped his hair over his shoulder in one fluid motion as he backed a few steps away from Arthur and towards his father. Mr. Bonnefoy nodded started back further into the lab, Francis glancing back over his shoulder as he followed, "Goodbye (French) Arthur, I'd love to continue this but I'm afraid I have more important things to do. Sorry to disappoint you."

Arthur's scowl didn't fade as he watched the two Frenchmen disappear further into the lab, "Sorry to disappoint... ha!" Stuffing his hands into his pockets, with Mint slung under one arm, he stormed out of the lab and face first into a flood of bright sunlight. He lifted one hand to shield his eyes, and in doing so succeeded in dropping Mint to the ground. The Pichu woke with a start and muttered angrily as he scampered up Arthur's leg and flopped off on Arthur's shoulder as the boy pulled his hood back up.

With a sigh Arthur looked around the town curiously, by now the sun had risen much higher on the horizon and it seemed that everyone in Astapa had finally began their day. Several cast curious looks in his direction, no doubt looking at Mint; speaking of Mint, he'd promised Peter that he'd come back and show his brother his pokemon. However going back to Chai Town would most likely allow him a better chance of running into Francis again, and he'd had about all he could take from that Frog today. He chewed gently on the inside of his cheek as he evaluated his choices; keep his promise to Peter and risk running into the frog again, or leave now while he was busy. Of course leaving early would also mean he'd have to deal with Peter's whining the next time the two met... With one last sigh he slowly started back down the forest trail towards Chai Town; he could deal with Francis, but a whining Peter? He'd rather be forced to deal with an insane madman before he dealt with that.

/

He was settled on the snowy top of a mountain legs crossed and arms folded in his lap, far from the tree crowded path of the Green Forest that Arthur was traveling through back towards Chai Town, but none the less he seemed to have the same strong look of determination written in his eyes. The same brown eyes that stared out at the newly awoken sun as it inched its way over the mountains settled neatly on the horizon, and seemed to translate their look of emotionless relaxation to the thin line that made up his lips. His eyes seemed slightly glazed as he stared out into the morning's brightness but didn't carry a look of distraction, neither did he squint them as the beams of the rising giant caught him full in the face. Instead he sat perfectly still as a small yellow foxlike pokemon wandered over, pushing her way through the snow up until she reached his leg where she leaped up and settled into sitting position. The pokemon looked up at him, her red eyes watching him curiously for a few moments before she lowered her head and rubbed the upper part against his leg, her soft, red tipped ears flickering back and forth as she moved.

At first the younger man didn't respond, but finally he slowly moved his left hand and let it settle on the top of her head between those soft ears. The pokemon seemed to enjoy the motion as she shuddered in pleasure. "Fen." She looked back up at her trainer expectantly, but the man was still completely still except for the gentle rocking of his hand over her head, followed closely by her rumbling purrs of pleasure.

Finally after several more minutes his eyes blinked rapidly and he let his head dip down towards the ground. The Fennekin looked up at him, her eyes fixed on his face as the rumble died in her throat, "Kin?" He blinked a few more times before finally starting to shift his weight, she sensed his intentions and jumped into the snow, leaving small prints as he stretched out his legs and slowly stood up. If he felt any kind tension or discomfort he didn't show it, but instead bent over and picked up the small pokemon let the wind carry the white hood of his cloak up at an angle over his short black hair. She curled up tightly in his arms, pressing tightly into his chest as a sudden intense chilling wind smashed over the top of the mountain. The howling filled their ears as the icy daggers dug into the exposed skin and fur, and tore at just about anything else that the icy fingers could get their hands on. Although the pokemon was curled up as tight as she could manage she knew her master was still staring off into the snow, and his narrowed brown eyes scanned the spinning vortexes looking for just about anything.

Then he saw it, a single white flower thrashing around within the snow flurries that tossed it around like many felines tormenting a small mouse. Its petals were curled up and ripped in several places as the intense winds through it in several directions. But as simply as it had started it ended. The whole event took place in the course of a few minutes but with several new centimeters of snow layering over and erasing all traces that they'd been there in the first place, and the small beat up flower landing softly in the snow at his feet. "That was unusual." The Fennekin opened her eyes at the sound of her master's clipped voice, she felt herself pressed closer to his chest as he bent over and picked up the flower twirling it slowly between his fingers concern filling his eyes as he stared at it, "I am afraid that things are about to get worse." Tucking the flower gently in the chest pocket of his uniform he started back towards the many steps the lead back down the mountain, but not before pausing just one more time to stare back out at the rising sun. "It would have been better if they had frozen to death."

* * *

Thanks once again for reading this story, but I really would love for you to take a quick moment and leave a review, they really help when I'm trying to write the next chapters. Hope to hear what you think. :)

Japan: Remember to review please.


End file.
